


And Why Mess Up a Good Thing

by kpowell123



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: 5+1 Things, And you can pry that from my cold dead hands, Derek "Nursey" Nurse is Unchill, Friends with Benefits I guess, M/M, Miscommunication, Recreational Drug Use, dex is smooth af, this is rated m because i'm paranoid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-17
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-10-06 17:09:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10340100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kpowell123/pseuds/kpowell123
Summary: Five times Nursey swears nothing's going on between him and Dex, and one time Dex admits it





	

**Author's Note:**

> Title from [Sleeping With a Friend](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB7R0ZY9w94) by Neon Trees
> 
> I also recommend listening to Partition when Nursey mentions it.

**1**  
  
If anyone had told first semester freshman Derek Malik Nurse that he would be friends with his defenseman partner Will Poindexter, he would have laughed in their face. Dex, the most tightly wound person Nursey has ever had the misfortune of knowing. But as it’s nearing the end of their first year at Samwell he’s surprised that he and Dex have actually gotten quite close. Nursey isn’t sure if there was an exact turning point in their relationship, but it might have had something to do with the fact that Dex felt comfortable enough to come out to Nursey before they left for winter break. Well, maybe comfortable isn’t the right word.  
  
It was the afternoon after Epikegster, and Dex and Nursey were sitting in the Haus kitchen studying for their finals. Jack was holed up in his room and probably wasn’t coming out in the near future. Bitty and Chowder had gone grocery shopping, Shitty and Lardo were at the art building, and Ransom and Holster were in the library, so they were pretty much alone.

A very hungover Nursey was trying to outline a paper on the sonnet cycle for his Shakespeare class, while Dex typed furiously away on his laptop, probably working on his computer science something or other. Dex tended to look angry a lot, but this was a whole new level of anger since stress was added on top of everything else.

“Have you taken a break recently?” Nursey asked, gladly taking the opportunity to procrastinate his outline. Sure, Shakespeare’s sonnets were great, but writing an analytical paper while still recovering from the night before didn’t exactly seem like a great time.

“I don’t like to take breaks,” Dex answered, looking up from his screen.

“You’re going to need glasses in two years, what with all the time you spend staring at a screen.”

“I’ve accepted that as my reality. Can I get back to work now, please? I want to get this coding done before Bitty and Chowder get back and start talking.”

“Nah, you need a break, Dex. I’m going to keep talking,” Nursey smiled. Dex gave him a stare of death, but didn’t say anything else.

“So,” Nursey continued. “How about that Epikegster?”

Dex snorted. “You were a mess, man.”

“Yeah, I woke up covered in leaves and wearing one shoe.”

“And that’s why next semester, Nursey Patrol is going to be a thing.”

“Bitty wasn’t serious about that, was he?” Nursey whined.

“He says you’re not allowed to be unsupervised for Spring C, at least.”

“What if I want to hook up with someone? Is Bitty going to follow me back to my dorm?”

“Well, I don’t think he would take it that far. And it sounded like he wanted to put someone else on Nursey Patrol.”

As Nursey nodded, his phone lit up.

“Who’s texting you?” Dex asked.

Nursey was at first hesitant to answer, since his Winter Screw date (who just so happened to be a guy) had texted him, and he didn’t feel like getting into this sort of conversation with Dex during finals. For some reason, his rational thoughts decided not to listen.

“It’s Connor Green. My Winter Screw date,” Nursey answered.

“Oh.” Dex’s face seemed pretty unchanged, but Nursey wasn’t fooled by his tone of voice. Instead of engaging, he decided to just text Connor back in silence. He had to find a way to let the guy down easy. They had hooked up a couple other times after Screw, but Nursey wasn’t sure if he wanted to hook up again.

“Hey,” Dex began. His voice sounded confused and a bit strained. “What’s it like to like… be with a guy?”

So much for disengaging.

“Are you fucking serious, man?” Nursey fumed.

“What?” Dex looked as though he had no idea why Nursey might be upset.

“And don’t even pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. It might bother you and every bone in your close-minded body that I’m bisexual, but that’s who I am, and I’m not going to apologize for it!”

“Nurse--”

“No! I’m not done. If there’s something that makes you uncomfortable about who I want to be with, then I don’t think we can be friends. If you’re going to be such a bigot, then why did you even come to Samwell?”

“Because I’m gay, asshole!” Dex shouted.

It’s not very often that Nursey is left speechless, but this was one of those times.

“What?” Nursey finally responded.

Dex looked just as shocked at his outburst, considering that he had turned bright red. “Um, I’m gay.”

“You are?”

“Yes. I wasn’t trying to offend you, I was really just wondering. Because I’ve never…”

“Oh.”

Dex stared at his hands. “Fuck. So, um. I’ve never come out to anyone before.”

Nursey quickly snapped out of confused mode in order to be a supportive friend. “Well, thanks for trusting me with that, even though you weren’t planning to, and I’m sorry I was acting like a dick.”

Dex shrugged. “Your freak out was kind of warranted. I don’t think there’s a way to ask that question without it somehow sounding offensive.”

“Chyeah. But seriously, man, I’m here for you.”

“Cool. Thanks, Nursey,” Dex replied with a smile.

“You’re welcome.”

“Is it cool if we just keep this between us for now?” Dex asked after a moment of silence. “I don’t think I’m ready to come out to anyone else just yet.”

“For sure, man. Go at your own speed.”

At that, Dex smiled and went right back to his coding. Nursey sighed and opened his sonnet book again, hoping to actually get some work done on his outline.  
  
Looking back, it makes perfect sense that that’s when Nursey and Dex’s dynamic shifted. Even if Dex’s coming out was only an exasperated accident, it helped the two of them come to an understanding, and they played better hockey for the rest of their first season because of it. And by the time Bitty’s birthday rolls around, it seems like they’re actually friends.

They’re both leaning against a wall and holding cups of tub juice. Dex is on Nursey Patrol, but Nursey doesn’t really need it today. He hasn’t had that much to drink. Besides, Bitty’s banned him from more than one cup of tub juice at kegsters. Nursey turns to look at his companion, who seems a bit too lost in thought for a party.

“What’s on your mind, man?” Nursey shouts over the music.

“Nothing, really,” Dex responds. “Well, not nothing.”

“What is it?”

“I’m thinking about coming out to the rest of the team. Having you in my corner, and Chowder after I told him, has been really nice. And I feel more comfortable with my sexuality than I was when I first got here. So, yeah.”

“Dex, that’s great!” Nursey says as he pats his friend on the shoulder. “I’m really happy for you. And everyone else on the team is totally going to have your back.”

Dex nods and takes another sip of his drink. “I can’t believe the year is almost over.”

“Yeah, that went by really fast. What are you doing over the summer, Poindexter?”

“Working on my uncle’s lobster boat.”

“That’s it?”

“Mostly. Do you have a problem with that?”

“No, it just doesn’t sound very social.”

Dex opens his mouth to say something, shuts it again, but then decides to actually say it. “I mean, I do social things.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“Well, the other day I texted this one guy from my high school, Damian.”

“Oooooo, Damian!” Nursey wiggles his eyebrows, which earns him a punch in the arm from an ever-reddening Dex.

“Shut up!” Dex smiles. “I uh, had sort of a thing for him last year. He was the only out guy at school, and he’s just cool, okay? So I asked if he wanted to hang out when I got back, and he said that would be nice.”

“Aw, Dexy’s got a date!” Nursey chirps.

“It’s not a date,” Dex says as yet another blush spreads across his cheeks.

“Sure, Dex. Just don’t forget us little people back at Samwell while you’re off with Damian.”

“Come on, Nurse. How could I forget someone as annoying as you?” Dex chirps back.

“So what you’re saying is that you’re going to miss me?”

“Now I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Aw, Dex, you’re going to miss me!”

“Whatever. I have to pee. Will you be okay until I get back?”

“How’s this? I’ll stand right here in this exact spot so you’ll know I haven’t gotten into any trouble.”

Dex rolls his eyes and heads to the bathroom. He is replaced by Bitty only thirty seconds later.

“Bitty!” Nursey shouts. “Are you enjoying your party?”

“I am, thank you Nursey,” Bitty answers. “Where’s Dex?”

“He just went to the bathroom. But don’t worry, he’s doing a good job of Nursey Patrol.”

“Okay. I’m glad you two are getting along. Although, I will never understand your bizarre flirting with each other.”

Nursey almost chokes on his drink. Sober Bitty definitely would not have just said that. “Flirting? Who’s flirting?”

“You and Dex, with your chirping.”

“Does chirping count as flirting?”

“Yours might as well count as flirting.”

“Bitty, you’re drunk. I’m not flirting with Dex.”

“Of course not, sweetheart.” At that, he pats Nursey on the shoulder and walks off, probably in search of Jack.

Nursey stares in Bitty’s general direction, even after he’s gone. He doesn’t flirt with Dex! He would totally realize if he were flirting with someone. Right?  
  


**2**  
  
“Hey, Dex, have you ever been high before?” Nursey asks.

It’s the end of January, so second semester of their sophomore year hasn’t really picked up yet. They’re at the Haus, lying next to each other on Chowder’s bed. Chowder is at murder Stop ‘n Shop, but they figure it’ll be a pleasant surprise to see them when he gets back.

“Once,” Dex answers. “I think it was the summer before college. I didn’t have very much fun.”

“Why not?”

“Probably because of who I was smoking with.”

Nursey rolls over to face his companion. “Would you ever smoke with me?”

Dex looks confused. “Like right now?”

“Well, I don’t think Chowder would appreciate us smoking in his room.”

“Or without him.”

“Chyeah.”

They sit in silence.

“I would smoke with you,” Dex finally answers. He turns to look at Nursey, who breaks out into a grin.

“‘Swawesome. It’s gonna be chill.”

Dex laughs and rolls his eyes. “Don’t make me change my mind.”

“How about Friday night? You can come to my room.”

“You don’t want to wait to smoke with Chowder?”

Nursey hesitates. “Well, C has a date with Farmer. We don’t have to feel obligated to wait for him if we’re not smoking in his room.”

“Okay. Friday night it is.”  
  
Nursey’s done it. He’s gotten Dex to reach a maximum level of chill. They’re sitting on his bed with various vending machine snacks spread about, and for the past ten minutes Dex has been asking random questions. He doesn’t always wait for Nursey to respond, but instead just starts to giggle. His most recent giggle fit has just ended, and he leans his head against the wall and closes his eyes. Nursey takes a moment to look at his fellow d-man. He’s never seen him so relaxed.

“Why are you so into English?” Dex asks. He finally opens his eyes and turns to look at Nursey.

“I don’t know. I guess I like that there’s not one right way to interpret something. And I just like that there are so many different ways to express yourself through words.”

“I’m bad at words.”

“You’re not bad at words.”

“I am compared to you. You’re a regular Jane Austen.”

Nursey laughs. “Why Jane Austen?”

“She’s just the first author that came to mind. And she’s a good writer, you should take that as a compliment.”

“What Jane Austen have you read besides _Pride and Prejudice_?”

Dex opens his mouth to speak, but Nursey cuts him off.

“Or _Sense and Sensibility_.”

“Goddamnit, Nurse!”

“I can recommend you one.”

“Well, which do you recommend, Mr. English Major?”

“ _Emma_. Or _Persuasion_. But _Emma_ ’s my favorite.”

“I wish I had more time to read. Hockey barely allowed enough time when I was a kid, and then I got into computer science, and I really didn’t have time.”

“Yeah, it can be tough to make time. But I think it’s worth it.”

Dex doesn’t say anything. He just smiles and stares intently at Nursey. Is it just Nursey’s imagination, or is Dex moving closer to his face? He tests the waters by scooting a little closer to Dex in return. Dex smirks and leans forward, not taking his eyes off Nursey for a second. The next thing he knows, Dex’s lips are on his.

It’s not a very long kiss. It’s soft and tentative. A quick brush, just the slightest bit more pressure, and it’s over as soon as it started. Dex shifts back to his original position and grabs a handful of chips. Nursey narrows his eyes in confusion, trying to maintain a relative state of calm.

“I’m gonna head back to my room. I’m pretty wiped from this week,” Dex announces after about five minutes.

“Okay,” Nursey answers.

“We should do this again.”

“Yeah.” Nursey isn’t sure if he’s referring to the smoking or the kissing, but either seems welcome at this moment in time.

“Breakfast at the Haus tomorrow?” Dex turns around once he reaches the doorframe.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Nursey replies.

Dex smiles and shuts the door behind him.

Once the door is shut, Nursey loses every ounce of his cool that he had been trying to maintain while Dex was in the room. He starts pacing his tiny single. He kissed Dex. And Dex kissed back. What the hell? This wasn’t supposed to happen. What does this mean? Should they talk about it? He needs to talk to someone, at least. He throws on his jacket, grabs his keys, and heads to the Haus.

He lets himself in and bolts up the stairs. He knocks on Chowder’s door, hoping he isn’t interrupting anything. He doesn’t get an answer. It’s only 11:30, so he probably isn’t asleep.

“C!” Nursey shouts as he knocks again. “Are you naked?”

Chowder finally opens the door, fully clothed and with his headphones around his neck.

“Nursey, hi! How long have you been knocking?” He steps aside to let Nursey in.

“Not too long. I should have texted before coming over here. At first I was afraid you and Farmer were busy.”

“No, Cait has to wake up early for an admissions event tomorrow so she went back to her room. I just had headphones in because Jack’s visiting this weekend.”

“Rough. Thin walls are the worst,” Nursey comments.

In the moment of silence that follows, they hear moans and rhythmic thumping, not from across the hall, but next door.

“Did I mention Shitty’s here, too?” Chowder grimaces.

“Please turn on some music,” Nursey begs.

“Way ahead of you.” Chowder presses play on his computer and turns up the volume. “So wait, why are you here? Where’s Dex?”

“We were smoking, but I think it made him sleepy. He went to bed.”

“Oh.”

“Not before we kissed, though.”

“What!” Nursey looks up to see Chowder’s confused face. “Are you serious?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“No. So wait, how did this happen?”

“I told you. We were high, we kissed, he went back to his room.”

“And this happened tonight?”

“Yes!”

“Wow.” Chowder sits back in his desk chair. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Do you like Dex?”

Nursey snorts. “No.”

“Then why did you kiss him?”

“I don’t know, I was under the influence of marijuana!”

“It’s okay, Nursey, you can tell me.”

“I don’t like Dex! Dex is my friend.”

“If Dex is your friend, why did you rush over here in a panic after you kissed him?”

“Because we’re friends! You don’t just kiss your friends. I’m so confused.” Nursey buries his head in his hands.

“Maybe you should talk to him about it,” Chowder suggests.

“Nah, I don’t want to make things weird. I mean, it was one kiss. One kiss doesn’t mean anything. Right?”

“Not if you don’t want it to.”

“Exactly. Friends kiss sometimes. Rans and Holster made out that one time. And you can’t tell me Shitty’s never planted one on Jack.”

“Uh-huh.” Chowder seems worried.

“Chowder, don’t look at me like that. I’m being perfectly sane right now.”

“I never said you weren’t.”

“But your face is saying otherwise.”

“You just don’t usually freak out this much. What happened to being chill?”

“C, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Never in my life have I been chill. I just pretend to be.”

Nursey can’t tell if Chowder’s being serious or not when he says, “Well in that case, you’re a very good actor.”

He groans in response and flops back on Chowder’s bed. “I was a theater kid for the first half of my life. I should hope I’m at least a decent actor.”

“You know, it’s okay to be confused,” Chowder says after a minute.

“Yeah, but I don’t like it.”

“Well nobody likes being confused. Why do you think Tango asks so many questions?”

Nursey chuckles. Nobody can keep up with all of Tango’s questions.

“Do you want to stay here tonight? You’re clearly in a state and you’ll already be here for breakfast in the morning. Bitty’s making french toast.”

“Yes, please.”

“It’s going to be okay, man. This sort of thing usually has a way of working itself out.”

Nursey just nods and closes his eyes. He didn’t realize how tired he was.

The next morning, Nursey wakes up to the smell of coffee and french toast from downstairs. He rolls over to see that Chowder’s not next to him, so he’s probably already in the kitchen. He sits up and stretches before lifting himself from the bed and heading downstairs. Right when he reaches the bottom, the front door opens and Dex appears. Nursey’s stomach flips, and he trips down the last two stairs.

“Easy, man,” Dex says as he catches Nursey. “Did you sleep here?”

“Chowder got lonely,” Nursey lies.

“Huh.” Dex lets go and heads into the kitchen. He takes the empty seat in between Chowder and Jack. Chowder notices Nursey in the doorway and shrugs. Nursey returns it with his own nonchalant shrug and then plops down next to Lardo, pretending that this whole situation doesn’t bother him.  
  


**3**  
  
Nursey isn’t sure who’s on Nursey Patrol tonight, but if it’s Dex, he’s doing a terrible job. Dex is finishing up his second cup of tub juice and Lardo’s just recruited him for beer pong against Ransom and Holster. Earlier in the night when Nursey had gone to get some tub juice, Bitty had only poured him half a cup, so he finished that and he’s been spending the evening nursing watery beer. He’s sufficiently buzzed, so he doesn’t mind. He leaves the kitchen, hoping to watch the beer pong game.

Dex has always been surprisingly good at beer pong, and once Lardo discovered this hidden talent, he’s become her go-to partner. They’re practically unstoppable. Nursey’s always enjoyed watching Dex in his element. The way his brow furrows in complete focus, whether he’s on the ice, baking cookies, working on a problem set, or even just playing a stupid party game. He’s always appreciated that intensity. Maybe a little too much, but that’s a problem for a different day.

As it nears the end of the game and Nursey runs out of beer, he heads back to the kitchen for a refill. He knows Lardo and Dex are going to win; he doesn’t have to stay to watch it happen. The kitchen is empty, but that’s understandable, since beer pong games tend to garner a lot of attention. Nursey’s glad for the break from people for a bit. He opens another can of beer and leans against the counter. He’s a quarter way through his drink when Dex appears in the doorway.

“I take it you won, then?” Nursey asks as Dex grabs a beer for himself and leans next to him.

“Ransom and Holster never stood a chance,” Dex smirks. The last thing Nursey ever expected drunk Dex to be was confident and flirty, but every time they’ve gotten close when they’re inebriated, Nursey gets a bit weak in the knees. It doesn’t help that Nursey finds Dex is sexiest when he’s wearing a flannel and a backwards snapback.

“Of course not. You and Lardo are the dream team.”

“Yeah. It’s going to be weird when she’s not here next year.” They get quiet after that.

“Well, it’s the middle of February. We have plenty more kegsters for you guys to kick ass at beer pong.”

“That’s true. And hey, maybe you could be my partner next year.”

“Do you really mean that?”

“Well, I’ll at least let you apply for the position. I do have a reputation to uphold,” Dex says as he brushes his shoulder with Nursey’s.

Nursey laughs. “Well, I guess I’d better start working on my application.”

Dex smirks and Nursey’s breath catches in his throat. Should he lean in or--

“Bitty? Are you in here?” Tango asks as he wanders into the kitchen. Nursey and Dex turn their heads towards the doorway, but don’t really move apart.

“Hi, guys,” Tango continues. “Have you seen Bitty?”

“He’s not in here,” Dex says, staring at his beer can.

“Well do you know where he might be?”

“Considering Partition is playing right now, he’s probably dancing. I would check the living room if I were you,” Nursey suggests.

“Okay. Wait, why are you guys in here all alone? Are you about to hook up or something?”

Nursey opens his mouth and immediately shuts it again, while he watches Dex turn beet red.

“No! What… Tango, go sit down!” Nursey sputters.

“Where?”

“Does it matter?”

Tango considers this before answering. “Hm, I guess not. Have fun making out.”

Nursey and Dex are left speechless for about a minute after Tango leaves.

“That was weird,” Dex comments before downing the rest of his beer.

“Chyeah. But then again, most interactions with Tango are weird.”

Dex nods. “Were we?”

“Were we what?”

“About to hook up.”

Nursey turns his head to look at Dex again. “I don’t know.”

“Do you still want to find out?” Dex asks, staring at Nursey’s lips.

“Maybe,” Nursey responds. He hopes he looks a lot more chill than he feels.

Dex puts his beer can on the counter, grabs Nursey’s face in his hands, and presses their lips together.

Okay, Nursey thinks. This is happening. They’re doing this. His hands move to Dex’s hips as he turns them so that Dex is pushed up against the counter. All of his so-called “chill” might have flown out the window, but that doesn’t mean his kissing skills have abandoned him. Dex seems to be enjoying himself, seeing as one of his hands has set up permanent residence in Nursey’s hair, and he’s worked Nursey’s mouth open to let his tongue in. It’s only a few minutes before Dex abruptly pulls away.

“What’s wrong?” Nursey asks.

“Nothing,” Dex pants. “It’s just that we’re so out in the open.”

“Oh. Well, we could go somewhere else, maybe?”

Dex hesitates. “I’m not so sure about tonight, but another time?”

“Okay,” Nursey answers, figuring full well there isn’t going to be a next time.

And much to his surprise, that is not the case. The next weekend, the team’s hanging out at the Haus on Friday, playing a drinking game of Bitty’s invention that involves guessing different jam flavors. Nursey’s not very good at it, and even though Dex is the one who helps Bitty the most in the kitchen, he’s not great at it either. It doesn’t take long before Nursey is tired of mixing jam with vodka, and he excuses himself to go upstairs to the bathroom. After a minute, he hears a knock on the door.

“Nursey?” Dex calls. “Are you okay?”

Nursey opens the door to let Dex in. “You didn’t have to follow me up here.”

“I’m on Nursey Patrol.”

“Is that really necessary? It’s just the team. And it’s not like you’re sober right now, how much help could you possibly be?”

“Well I thought you were coming up here to puke, excuse me for being considerate.”

“Are you sure that’s the only reason you came up here?” Nursey smirks, stepping closer.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Could it be you wanted to get me alone, Dexy?”

Dex snorts, but he seems slightly flustered. “Don’t flatter yourself, Nurse.”

Nursey steps even closer. “You say that, but considering you’re blushing right now I’m not so sure I believe you.”

Dex takes initiative and steps in so that their foreheads are touching. “Should I kiss you, or are you going to keep running your mouth?”

Nursey grins and closes the distance between them. Their kisses are frenzied, as Dex pushes Nursey up against the wall. They easily get back into the rhythm they’d established the week before. Causally making out with people while inebriated isn’t weird. Nursey’s done it with a bunch of people. It’s just a bit new because it’s Dex that he’s casually making out with. But honestly, Nursey thinks he could probably get used to it.  
  


**4**  
  
About a month into whatever the hell it is they’re doing, Nursey is glad that he and Dex seem to be sort of acknowledging what’s going on between them. It’s not really a spoken thing, but more so a silent agreement. So any time there’s a party or a get together that involves alcohol or weed, they have free reign to get each other off and then go back to their lives once it’s over. It’s the most consistent hook up that Nursey has had since freshman year with his Winter Screw date.

As second semester goes on, Ransom and Holster seem to be planning way more kegsters than normal. Nursey assumes they’re trying to go out with a bang, but it’s not like he’s complaining. Kegsters mean alcohol, which means a hook up with Dex is not far behind. And even though nobody said Nursey can’t hook up with anyone else, for some reason he only really wants to hook up with Dex at the moment, so he’s grateful for all the kegsters and makes the most of them.

On this particular Saturday evening, he has Dex backed up against the Haus’s upstairs bathroom sink. Things are moving fairly quickly as Nursey’s mouth works its way down Dex’s body. He kneels on the floor as he undoes Dex’s pants zipper and tries to work his pants off slightly so he can get past Dex’s boxers.

“Hurry up!” Dex pants.

“Fuck you, you know I’m bad with zippers, especially when my hands are sweaty!” Nursey snaps back.

“You’re almost there, stay focused!”

Nursey rolls his eyes and gets back to the task at hand, but a loud knock on the bathroom door interrupts.

“Hey, who’s in here?” Holster shouts from outside. “Samwell Men’s Hockey and vetted members of the Women’s Volleyball team upstairs only. There’s a perfectly good bathroom downstairs if you feel the need to get in a quickie! Or, you know, you could just go somewhere else!”

“Shit!” Nursey whispers.

“What do we do?” Dex asks, frantically trying and failing to get his pants back up.

“Just be quiet for a second!” Nursey goes to the door and shouts, “Hey, Holster, it’s just me!”

“Nursey?”

“Yeah, dude it’s chill.”

“It did not sound like just you from the hallway. Don’t you have a single?”

“Relax man, it’s just Dex in here.” At this, Dex shoots Nursey a death glare, while Nursey motions for Dex to sit near the toilet.

“What?” Holster gasps. “Are you and Dex having a quickie?”

Nursey opens the bathroom door to a very confused and drunk Holster. “No, man. What’s wrong with you? Dex wasn’t feeling well, so I’m helping him out.”

Holster narrows his eyes, but doesn’t say anything. “Dex isn’t feeling well?”

“Yeah, he had too much to drink.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Don’t look at me like that! What, is it so hard to believe that it’s Dex who’s consumed too much alcohol for once and not me?”

“Yes.”

“I can confirm. I feel like shit,” Dex answers. Nursey turns to see he’s hugging the toilet.

“Hmm. Okay, well just make sure he gets back to his room okay,” Holster concedes.

“It’s the least I can do. He’s done it so much for me. Now get back to the party, bye!” Nursey says as he closes the door again. He listens to make sure that Holster has walked away and when he hears a distant bellow, he knows he’s back downstairs.

“We are never hooking up in the Haus again,” Dex fumes, as he gets up from the floor.

“But you have to admit, almost getting caught was kind of hot.”

“No.”

“Okay, fine. No more Haus hook ups. Now pretend to be sick again, so we can get back to my room.”

Dex shakes his head, but complies as Nursey leads them out of the bathroom, after making sure the coast is clear.  
  


**5**  
  
There’s nothing like the adrenaline rush after winning a game. Everyone on the team is feeling it right now, especially considering the win was against Yale on a roadie. Holster nearly kissed Ransom as the buzzer sounded. Dex even scored a goal with the help of Nursey’s assist.

After team dinner, Ransom and Holster go on an alcohol run so they can drink at the hotel. Nursey begs off from the rest of the celebration, wanting a little time to critique his classmates’ creative writing assignments. He’s only been working for about half an hour when he hears the door to the hotel room click, and Dex comes back in the room.

“I didn’t expect you back so early,” Nursey comments.

Dex shrugs and throws his room key and phone on his nightstand. “I didn’t feel up to drinking. And Holster wanted to play truth or dare.”

“Considering we’re college students, we sure do play a lot of middle school party games.”

“The alcohol makes it more fun, I guess. I hated those games in middle school, but I blame that on internalized homophobia.”

“Word,” Nursey agrees. They sit in silence for a little while.

“Is it alright if I turn on the TV?” Dex asks.

“Go for it. I’m not focusing anymore.” He puts the papers back in his bag and flops down on his bed.

“Do you want some snacks? I got a bunch of stuff from the vending machine earlier.” Dex motions for Nursey to join him on his bed.

“Thanks, man.”

They watch some dumb movie on Syfy and make silly comments every so often, but it’s mostly just background noise as they talk about other things. There’s a chance Nursey gets a bit too caught up in staring at Dex as his face brightens when he explains how he and his brother used to bond over terrible movies.

“Hey, Nurse?” Dex asks, snapping Nursey out of his trance.

“Huh? Sorry, I got distracted.”

“Is something on your mind?”

“It’s nothing, man.”

“Nursey, if you’ve taught me anything in the time we’ve known each other, it’s that it’s okay to feel how you’re feeling. You can tell me.”

Nursey’s face heats up at an alarming rate, as he opens his mouth to say something. He just can’t seem to get the words out.

“Derek?” Dex asks, sounding more concerned than anything else.

“I don’t want you to react weirdly,” Nursey responds as he sits up.

“Why would I react weirdly?”

“Because I was thinking that I really want to kiss you right now.”

Dex is quiet for a moment before uttering a single, “Oh.”

Nursey snorts. “Yeah. Oh.”

“Dude, it’s not a bad oh, it’s just an I’m processing oh.”

“I just didn’t want to make a big deal of it, and I feel like that’s what’s happening now.”

“It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Does it?” Dex asks.

“I don’t know, but since we’re not on any mind altering substances, it seems like more of a thing than before. And I said I want to kiss you, but you haven’t actually said that you want to kiss me.”

Dex places a hand on Nursey’s thigh and looks him in the eye. “But I never said I didn’t.”

Nursey’s breath catches as Dex leans in and kisses him.

Dex’s kisses are insistent as he pushes Nursey back down on the bed. Nursey works his hands under Dex’s shirt, which Dex takes as a signal to remove it completely. He helps Nursey get his shirt off and then goes back to kissing him.

“Do you have lube and stuff?” Nursey pants as Dex works at Nursey’s neck.

“Yeah. In my bag,” Dex answers, trying not to stop what he’s doing.

“Okay. So, we’re doing this.”

At this, Dex stops and sits up. “Do you not want to?”

“No, I do. This just seems like uncharted territory, you know?”

Dex squints. “Nurse, I literally sucked your dick last weekend.”

“But we were drunk then!”

“Derek, you are making such a big deal out of this for someone who just said they didn’t want to make this a big deal. Is this just your way of saying you don’t want to hook up sober?” Nursey looks up to see a slightly hurt Dex, and he hates that he’s the reason for it.

“Oh my god, Will, of course not!” Nursey sits up and takes Dex’s face in his hands. “This has absolutely nothing to do with you, and I don’t want you to think that. I’m just freaking out because that’s what I do.”

“Since when do you freak out?” Dex jokes.

“Oh, all the time. I’m in a constant state of freak-out. You know that time Holster caught us in the bathroom? One of the most terrifying moments of my life.”

“You were so quick on your feet, though.”

“I took an improv class last summer. It’s no big thing, really.”

Dex laughs and flops back on the bed. Nursey follows suit and stares at the ceiling.

“I’m sorry I kind of killed the mood,” Nursey says after a bit.

“Don’t apologize. It’s probably good that we stopped to talk.”

“And just so we’re clear, I want to keep hooking up with you. It doesn’t have to be at a party or when we’re drunk or high. That was just a stupid rule I made up in my head. So if you still want to, I’m down for whatever.”

“I’m down for whatever too,” Dex answers. “I guess I was kind of following that rule too. But honestly, fuck the rules. We can do what we want.”

Nursey laughs. “Yeah, fuck the rules.” He turns to face Dex, presses a quick kiss to his lips, and then immediately goes in search of the remote.

“What are you doing?” Dex asks.

“This movie is trash, let’s watch something better.”

Dex rolls his eyes, but doesn’t disagree. He pulls back the covers and gets comfortable. Once Nursey finds something halfway decent on TV, he joins Dex under the covers. Dex yawns and rests his head on Nursey’s shoulder. Nursey hopes they won’t have to discuss how quickly his heart is beating. Or the fact that his stomach is in a giant knot. He opts to ignore it. And if they end up falling asleep this way, nobody has to know, since he’s going to opt to ignore that, too.  
  


**6**  
  
If anyone had told first semester freshman William Jacob Poindexter that he would be sleeping with his defenseman partner Derek Nurse on the regular by the middle of sophomore year, he would have laughed in their face. Yet here they are, sophomore year coming to an end, and Nursey is in his bed. For the third time this week. Nobody on the team seems to know about them, although Dex thinks Chowder might have his suspicions.

They’ve gotten into a bit of a routine in the past month. It starts out just being a weekend thing. They hang out with the team on Friday nights, then when the hangouts are over, they head back to one of their rooms. Usually Nursey’s, since he has a single. They have sex, cuddle and talk for a while, then fall asleep. In the morning, they get up and get breakfast at Annie’s or the dining hall if they don’t end up at the Haus.

This morning is a bit different than the others. For one thing it’s Wednesday, and they didn’t have sex the night before. That’s the second time that’s happened, and the first was only Monday night.They just sat up and did homework and talked a bit before Dex’s roommate came back from the library and they all decided to turn in.

None of them have an early class on Wednesdays, so Dex is the first awake. Nursey’s a notorious sleep cuddler, so Dex can’t move very much since Nursey’s arms are around his waist. He looks over to the bed next to him, to see his roommate Tucker slightly stirring. He carefully reaches under his pillow to pull out his phone and check for the time. It’s 8:30, so they don’t have to get up if they don’t want to. Dex opts for watching Nursey sleep. His mouth is hanging slightly open, and he looks so peaceful. Dex idly runs a hand through Nursey’s hair. He didn’t expect this to make him stir, but it does.

Nursey gives Dex a sleepy smile. “Good morning.”

“Hi,” Dex smiles back.

“What time is it?”

“A little after 8:30. Do you want to get breakfast?”

“In a little bit.” He reaches up for a kiss, but Dex stops him.

“No thank you, Mr. Morning Breath.” He settles for kissing Nursey’s forehead instead.

“Oh please, no! It’s too early for this,” Tucker moans as he sits up.

“Sorry, Tucker,” Dex answers.

“How’s this? I’ll take Will off your hands for the rest of the week. We can crash in my room instead,” Nursey suggests as he sits up.

“Wait a second. Don’t you have a single? Why don’t you just always go there?” Tucker asks in disbelief.

“Because someone’s a lazy fuck and doesn’t want to be too far away from the dining hall.” Dex gives Nursey a playful jab in the ribs.

“Well we don’t have to bother you anymore, Tucker.” Nursey plants a quick kiss on Dex’s lips before hopping out of bed. “I’m going to wash up, then we can get breakfast.”

Dex smiles as he watches Nursey leave the room and head for the bathroom. He gets out of bed and goes to his dresser.

“Hey, Will, no offense, but your boyfriend snores like a fucking monster truck. How do you get any sleep with him right next to you?” Tucker asks.

Dex’s hand freezes over a pair of boxers. He turns around and looks at his roommate. “My what?”

“Your boyfriend?”

“Who’s my… huh? Oh, do you mean Derek? Derek’s not my boyfriend.”

“He’s not?”

“No. I think I would know if I had a boyfriend.”

“Whatever you say, dude,” Tucker smirks as he takes his towel and leaves the room.

Dex stares after him for a moment, but then shakes it off and continues to get dressed.

When Nursey comes back from the bathroom, he throws on what he had on the day before along with one of Dex’s flannels and his beanie and they head out to the dining hall. At some point on the walk, Nursey’s arm ends up around Dex’s shoulder, and Dex just leans into it. Totally normal. That doesn’t mean Nursey is his boyfriend. As they head into the dining hall, Dex grabs the newspaper, since Nursey likes to read it while he eats. They find a two-person table and go get their food.

Once they’re sitting down with their breakfast, Nursey wordlessly unfolds the newspaper and hands Dex the News section before taking out the Arts section for himself. They sit quietly as they eat and read the paper, but that’s nothing new. It’s all a part of the routine.

“They have french toast sticks today?” Nursey asks, eyeing Dex’s plate.

“Yeah, you didn’t see them?”

“No.” Nursey stabs one with his fork and brings it to his mouth.

“You do realize you could have gotten your own, right?”

“But you have like ten of them right there on your plate, babe.” He goes back to the newspaper.

Dex stares at Nursey for a good ten seconds. Nursey just called him babe. That doesn’t usually happen. Not that Dex minds, though. Nobody’s ever called him babe before, but if Nursey does it more often, he could get used to it.

“Hey, Nurse?”

Nursey’s reply is a noncommittal grunt as he stuffs eggs into his mouth.

“I think we’re dating.”

That gets Nursey’s attention. “What?”

“We’re dating. Aren’t we?”

“I mean, sort of.”

Dex can feel his face begin to redden. “Sort of? You just called me babe. You took me to the movies two weeks ago, and you wouldn’t let me pay for anything. We go to Annie’s every fucking Saturday morning. We’re reading the paper at breakfast like an old married couple while we play footsie under the table. The past two nights we didn’t even have sex, we just spooned and went to sleep! And the last time I checked, neither of us were seeing other people.”

“Of course not!” Nursey looks offended at Dex’s last comment.

“Because we’re dating!”

For a minute Nursey just looks at him, and Dex can see the gears turning in his head as he thinks about how their relationship has evolved over the past two months.

“Oh,” Nursey finally whispers.

“Yeah.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“Huh?”

“You said we’re dating like there’s some sort of problem, and I’m not seeing the problem. I like you, you like me. That’s all there is to it, really.”

“Well…” Dex starts.

“Hey, if you have to think this hard to come up with a problem, then there isn’t a problem.”

“I know. But wouldn’t you have liked to know sooner?”

Nursey just shrugs. “We know now. And it’s not like I’d call what we’ve been doing up until now a waste of time.”

“So you’re cool if we label this?”

“Yeah. I’m kind of happy about it, actually,” Nursey smiles.

Dex smiles back. He touches Nursey’s foot with his and goes back to the paper.

“Hey, Dex?”

“Yeah?”

“Since we’re dating that means I can just eat off your plate, right?”

“Just take another french toast stick if you really want one, man!”

“Thanks, babe.”

Dex wishes he could hide the blush that forms on his face when Nursey calls him babe, if only to save him from Nursey’s chirps after the fact. He doesn’t really care, though. As long as Nursey keeps calling him babe, he’s happy.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're wondering what Nursey is thinking after he accidentally calls Dex babe, it was probably something along the lines of, "Oh shit. I just called Dex babe. I've never done that before. Maybe he didn't notice. Okay, just act like it's no big deal. Eat your eggs. Pretend to read this article."
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed reading! I had a lot of fun writing this one, so let me know what you guys think! And you can also come find me on [Tumblr](http://mylifeiskara.tumblr.com/).


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